“It’s time [for BLACK LIGHTNING]. Jefferson Pierce is the epitome of what black men are: he loves his wife, his children, and the community. This family is the Obamas of the superhero world. This show will have an authentic black voice. This character will add something to the conversation. We’ve always been character-based and we’ll continue to be character-based. It’s about when and how he uses his powers and why. We want people to get to know this family. Their powers, like their race, is only part of who they are. There’s definitely a problem with police brutality and we will get into that. There’s also a problem with us killing each other and we’ll talk about that too.”

Mara Brock Akil said:

“By having Thunder and Lightning help in the community, we get to shade in the humanity of the community. We all have a choice to use our power for good or for bad. What’s happening in our world today can inspire change.”

Williams, who plays the main character said:

“I’ve played a lot of bad guys. I’m changing teams. I’m officially on the side of light. Jefferson is going into the community. We effect change positively from his family out to the community. He’s trying to save the world one person at a time.”

During the Comic-Con, it was announced that James Remar and Damon Gupta have joined the cast as Gamby and Inspector Henderson.

Jefferson Pierce (Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Christine Adams) suffered. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him… or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.

Based on the characters from DC, BLACK LIGHTNING is from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil, and Sarah Schechter. Black Lightning character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.